Black Box Strength

By Jordan Morchat

It goes without saying that food, water, and air are all important. A person can go 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, and only 3 minutes without oxygen before potential brain damage occurs. Only 3 minutes without proper air can lead to brain damage. Even disrupted or improper breathing can lead to, respiratory dysfunction, headaches, decreased peristalsis (leading to constipation), poor lymphatic movement, varicose veins, and more. With our current lifestyles, something as simple as breathing can become a challenge.

The majority of people today are predominately “chest breathers” and are in fact using the wrong muscles to breath.When you consider what most people look like when they sit at a desk. It is typically with poor posture. They are physically placed in a position of exhalation. The rib cage is compressed, the spine is compressed, and the shoulders are rounded forward. Also, think about what happens when you are scared or stressed. What is your breath like? For most people it can occur a few ways, either in holding your breath or in hyper-ventalation. Both of these encourage short chest breaths.

When we look at the proper mechanics of taking a breath, our inhalation should expand our lower abdomen for the first 2/3 of the breath. The last 1/3 of the breath, your chest will rise. So, place your hand on your belly. Sit up straight and inhale. Your belly will rise first, and then your chest will follow, but only in the last 1/3 of the breath. The reverse is true for exhalation. If this is challenging to do while sitting or standing, start by laying on your back. For most people it is much easier to practice breathing in this position.

You know, this process is not something that should be thought out and it is intended to be automatic, BUT our lifestyles, posture, stress levels all affect our breathing. We were not intended to carry our stresses with us throughout the day either, but life happens. Your breath is something to be mindful of. I encourage you all to take at least 100 thoughtful deep abdominal breathes throughout the day.  This deep abdominal breathing (as nature intended) promotes healthy circulation (with blood, spinal fluid, and oxygen) throughout the body, it encourages you to maintain proper posture, increases digestion, and as a residual effect it can help de-stress your daily tasks.

Deanie.

Group Classes:

Deadlift 5×5

Followed by,

6 Rounds

15 Box jumps

12 Push press

9 Toes-to-bar

For the games competitors:

Games Workout 12.3

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 18 minutes of:
15 Box jumps, 24″/20″ box
115/75 pound Push press, 12 reps
9 Toes-to-bar

Notes:

The workout will begin with box jumps. The athlete will jump with two feet and come to a standing position with knees and hips locked out on top of the box. After 15 reps they will move to their loaded barbell. The barbell will begin on the ground. For the Push press to count the barbell will move from the shoulders to the overhead position, with the knees, hips and shoulders extended in one line. After 12 reps they will move to a pull-up bar. For the Toes-to-bar to count, the feet must begin behind the bar at the bottom and both feet must touch the bar at the same time at the top. After 9 reps are completed, the athlete will begin their next round.

Every rep counts in this workout. Credit will be given for partially completed rounds.

Weightlifting:

• Power Clean – 70% x 2 x 2, 75% x 1 x 3
• Hang Snatch (below knee) – 70% x 2 x 2, 75% x 1 x 3
• Overhead Squat – heavy single

It maybe the pregnancy, but I like food. And I like it a lot. I like rich, flavorful, fatty, wonderful food. I also, enjoy mixing my food, stirring all the flavors together to get a wonderful taste with each bite. This has always been the case, but with growing a human, this love for food has only been amplified. So, when I found this recipe I ended up making it the same day, because it looked that good! Since Thursday I’ve made this twice already. Just to be sure it wasn’t just the baby talking, I made sure to ask Danny and Carson if they found it as wonderful and it was given four thumbs up! So, enjoy every delicious bite!

Primal Chili Hot Dog!!!

• 3 sweet potatoes, sliced in 1/2 length wise
• fat, you choose
• 6 hot dogs (I used bratwurst sausage and it was yummy)
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 15 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes, liquid drained, chopped finely
• 2 Chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T chili powder
• 1/2 t cocoa powder (optional)
• S&P

Get your oven to 450°F. Coat your sweet potato halves in a couple tablespoons of your fat choice. Stick on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until the skins have slightly charred and the insides are soft, about 30 minutes.

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, start the chili.

Add a few tablespoons of fat to a saute pan. Let it get nice and hot, and then add the onions and garlic, saute until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the chopped chipotle peppers, tomatoes, chili powder, cocoa powder and S&P. Using your hands, crumble the beef into the pan, making sure to break up any big crumbles with a spatula or whatever. Let the beef cook through and simmer the chili until everything else is done. (if you have a better or more convenient chili, use what you have!)

Once the potatoes are done, remove them from the baking sheet and place the hot dogs on the same baking sheet. Throw them into the oven and let them blister and get hot, about 7 minutes.

While that’s happening, grate your cheese and scoop out the insides of your sweet potatoes. Save the inside mush for an awesome post workout meal. (Danny has been frying the sweet pot, patty style, in butter for breakfast).

To assemble, place the sweet potato skin on a plate. Place a hot dog on top, spoon on a bit of chili and top with sauerkraut, mustard, and any other wonderful things you would put on a hot dog!

Kelly K.

Group Class:

Super Set the following:

6 Rounds

5 Strict Pull Ups

5 Tall Box Jumps

Rest 90 Seconds

Then,

3 Rounds

20 Wall Ball

20 Walking Lunges

50 Double Unders

Today is a great day to introduce your friends or family, who may or may not think you are a little nuts-o (due to the ways you eat, sleep, workout…). I mean, we do encourage things that are a a little different than most gyms here at BlackBox. So, I can see where they are coming from. BUT today would be a great day to bring the friends to meet the BB family! So, spread the word and come by for a good time!

(Also, the games open competitors will be doing the workout at 11am, not 10am)

Group Class:

TBA!

By Jack Gaines

With it being an Olympics year, and us being interested in getting stronger, here is the story of Milo of Croton.  He was one of the early Olympics heroes (think 3,000 years ago Olympics).  He won 6 Olympic crowns in wrestling, and they still participated only every 4 years back then too.  That’s right, his wrestling career spanned over 25 years, whereas nowadays athletic careers at the pro level last 20 years at the most and that’s in lighter contact sports or positions.  It’s definitely unheard of in wrestling.  The reason why he is important (yeah, 6 Olympic crowns is important, but there’s more) is because he is considered “The Father of Linear Progression”.  His goal (you have one right?) was to carry a bull on his shoulders.  He knew that he couldn’t lift a bull onto his shoulders that first day, so he found a bull calf and carried it around.  He picked it up and carried it everyday because every day it was just a little bit bigger than before.  The bull calf eventually grew into a bull and his body was used to the slowly increasing weight, so he was able to lift the heavy load.  The moral of the story?  Strength gains are a slow, but steady, process.  Little by little you should be getting stronger and putting more weight on the bar to continue to force your body to adapt to heavier loads.

Group Class:

Snatch Work

Then,

“Isabell” 

30 Snatches for time

Followed by,

3x 8-10 TTB (nice and controlled, no swing)

Shoulder lacrosse ball mobility

If you are competing in the games you will complete the following:

Workout 12.2 ~ 

Proceed through the sequence below completing as many reps as possible in 10 minutes of:

45/75 pound Snatch, 30 reps
75/135 pound Snatch, 30 reps
100/165 pound Snatch, 30 reps
120/210 pound Snatch, as many reps as possible

Notes:

The athlete must be responsible for loading their own barbell to the appropriate loads during the workout. The same barbell must be used for the entire workout and they may not receive assistance when changing the loads. Using additional pre-loaded barbells is not permitted. This workout begins from the standing position with the barbell loaded to the starting weight. In the Snatch, the barbell goes directly from the ground to overhead in one motion without stopping at the shoulders. This can be a muscle snatch, a power snatch, a squat snatch or a split snatch. A clean and jerk is not permitted.

Weightlifting:

• Snatch – 80% x 2 x 2, 80% x 1 x 3
• Snatch Pull – 95% (of snatch) x 3 x 2, 100% x 3 x 2
• Pause Back Squat – 75% x 3 x 5

Every First Saturday of the month we will have our free community workout!!!

This Saturday is the 1st Saturday, so tell your friends and family! Spread the word and come out for a free community workout!!

(If you are participating in the games workout, we will meet afterwards at 11pm to get your game on!)

Bottom of the squat = Love

Walking Weighted Lunges (Forward and Backward)

5 x 4 (each leg, each direction)

Followed by,

5 Rounds

30 Double Unders

15 KB Swings

Followed by,

Prone Cobra 90 seconds x 2 (45 seconds rest)

Power Clean 5×2 (This is an optional strength portion for today’s workout. If you choose to not do the strength, warm up more, roll out, and get ready for some burpees!)

Then,

Games Workout 12.2:

AMRAP 7 min (This is not optional, do your burpees!)

Burpees!

Standards: This workout begins from the standing position. The Athlete will move from flat on the ground to touching an object with both hands that is 6 inches above their max reach. Score is total reps completed. At the bottom position, the Athlete’s chest and hips must touch the ground. At the top of the movement, both hands must make contact with the target 6 inches above your max reach.

Make sure to pick up your last recovery chart (and drop off last week’s)! This is your last week on the recovery challenge! Keep up the hard work and continue to be consistent, especially when times get hectic and crazy!

Taylor and Ed. 

Games Workout 12.2:

Deadlift 5×2 (This is an optional strength portion for today’s workout. If you choose to not do the strength, warm up more, roll out, and get ready for some burpees!)

Then,

AMRAP 7 min (This is not optional, do your burpees!)

Burpees!

Standards: This workout begins from the standing position. The Athlete will move from flat on the ground to touching an object with both hands that is 6 inches above their max reach. Score is total reps completed. At the bottom position, the Athlete’s chest and hips must touch the ground. At the top of the movement, both hands must make contact with the target 6 inches above your max reach.

Weightlifting:

• Jerk behind the neck – heavy single; 80% of HS x 1 x 3
• Power snatch – 65% x 3 x 5
• Push Press – 70% x 5 x 3